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Olympic Swimmer has Cancer Surgery; Bush to Announce Iraq Force Reduction; Ike Blows Through Cuba, Texas May Be Next; Candidates and Energy

Aired September 09, 2008 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And from battling in Beijing to fighting for his life. Olympian Eric Shanteau has cancer surgery. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta has exclusive access. You'll see it here in the NEWSROOM.
If someone you care for and worry about is in Iraq, you need to hear this. In less than an hour President Bush is announcing troop withdrawals. We've been talking about this move and now we're going to bring that announcement to you live.

The plan is for about 8,000 troops to come home over the next several months. That includes more than 3,000 support personnel like engineers and military police, and after that a Marine battalion serving in Anbar Province and one army brigade will come home with no replacements.

The moves are based on recommendations from top military officers including General David Petraeus.

Right now there are around 146,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. There are another 33,000 deployed in Afghanistan.

4,155 U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq since the start of the war. And that includes four deaths this month.

More than 30,000 troops have been wounded.

The Bush administration is getting a passing grade on national security, but just barely. A new report on terrorist threats and weapons of mass destruction gives the U.S. an overall grade of C.

The report by former members of the 9/11 Commission and other security experts says the U.S. is still dangerously vulnerable to attacks. They say efforts to reduce access to nuclear technology and bomb-making materials needs to move faster.

They also point to a lack of security at thousands of U.S. chemical plants.

The report does recognize progress the Bush administration has made on several fronts, including ramping up security at U.S. ports. We've talked a lot about that here. The full report is due out tomorrow.

Hurricane Ike, at this hour, the Category 1 storm is ripping into Cuba and sending new ripples of fear to the Gulf Coast of the United States.

The toll in Cuba still climbing. Hundreds of homes destroyed and hundreds more damaged. It will be hours before the storm trudges into the Gulf where it's likely to grow much stronger.

Texas has already scrambled buses to a staging area in San Antonio now, just in case coastal evacuations are needed. The governor has also issued a disaster declaration for 88 Texas counties.

Let's go ahead and get the very latest on Ike. CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano standing by in the Weather Center.

Hey, Rob.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Heidi.

Not only pounding Cuba, it is close enough to the Keys now. We're starting to get some tornado warnings that have been posted for the Florida Keys and also for Collier and Monroe County in southwest Florida.

Here's the center of it, just south of Havana by about 40 miles and, obviously, the rain bands are filtering into parts of south Florida and let's highlight a couple. Here's the one -- here's the tornado warning that's out for Collier and Monroe County.

This storm is moving to the west, northwest about 45 miles an hour, and then across upper parts of Monroe County in through the upper Keys near about -- near Key Largo, about 10 miles south of Key Largo.

Waterspout spotted with this system or with this squall line that's moving also to the northwest at about 45 miles per hour. So we'll continue to see that threat ongoing until this thing clears Cuba, which won't happen probably for another 12 hours.

Hurricane warnings out for the western tip of Cuba. Tropical storm warnings posted for the Florida Keys and, obviously, a threat for communities exist there as well for the next few hours.

Here's the forecast track, the very latest from the National Hurricane Center. We have winds right now at 90 miles an hour -- that's Cat 1 -- and expected to go across western Cuba which is pretty flat and kind of marshy, like Florida, so it shouldn't have too much of an impact on it.

We'll get quickly to a Cat 2 into the Gulf of Mexico. Look at the turn, though, and as opposed to curving to the north, we've got high pressure that's building south and right now the forecast is for more west than north.

So that will bring it south of Houston into maybe northern Mexico but intensity is pretty, pretty intense and maybe a Cat 3 or better.

Here's your areas of high pressure that are kind of squishing this storm to the south. Also, by the way, if you live in the highly populated I-95 Corridor across the tri-state area, and Allentown of Philly back to the big apple, you've got some thunderstorms that are rolling your way. Some of those could become severe.

Back to Ike, 80-mile-an-hour winds right now, Heidi, and pummeling the western tip of Cuba.

COLLINS: Boy, I just feel like we've been talking about all these storms forever. I know we're in the season, of course, but, boy, it just keeps on continuing and we will talk with you, again, a little bit later on because of that, Rob, coming up here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

In the meantime, want to get the very latest now from the Cuban capital, CNN Havana bureau chief Morgan Neill is there.

And Morgan, not sure if you were able to hear Rob, but he says that this actually won't clear Cuba for another 12 hours.

MORGAN NEILL, CNN HAVANA BUREAU CHIEF: I did hear that and I can promise you a lot of people here in the bureau that heard it as well let out a groan when they heard it.

This hurricane has weakened over the last day, now at a Category 1. It's -- about what we understand will be close to its closest point to Havana now and we are feeling some pretty strong winds, apparently, on the border between from tropical storm winds and Category 1 hurricane winds.

We've seen a lot of evacuations even in the capital now, even some last-minute evacuation just today. Some of the elderly and some of the disabled being evacuated from the center of -- central Havana. That in addition to hundreds of thousands of evacuations across the country.

Actually, the Cuban government now saying the numbers more than a million people evacuated in total. Nevertheless, there were some deaths reported last night for the first time on Cuban state television. It was announced that four people have died in Cuba as a result of Hurricane Ike. Those are the first four -- the first deaths we've seen in this hurricane season here.

Now, a lot of the damage from Ike was done when it was a Category 3 hurricane and it swept into the eastern part of Cuba bringing these spectacular damaging waves, in Baracoa, in particular, also bringing heavy rains that made its way through the center of the country.

And that's why you've seen so many evacuations. This storm has been over Cuba now some 36 hours and if we're talking about another nine hours, another 12 hours to go, that's a lot, a lot for the Cubans here to endure -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, no question about it. You can understand that groan that you mentioned when they heard that coming from Rob.

All right, Morgan Neill, thank you so much from Havana this morning. We'll stay in contact with you as well. Meanwhile, as Ike inches closer to the Gulf, communities along the U.S. coast watch, wait and worry.

This is an iReport from 10-year-old Anjelika Green. It gives you an idea of what Key West beaches look like. Only one person there in the water, as you can see.

Thousands of people actually evacuated over the weekend. The threat has now turned to the west with landfall, likely, targeting an area from Louisiana to Mexico.

Of course, when the weather becomes the news, remember to send us your iReport. Just go to ireport.com, or type ireport@CNN.com into your cell phone. But, of course, it goes without saying, stay safe, if you choose to do so.

To the presidential campaign trail now and a battle over the battleground states. Both Barack Obama and John McCain begin the day in Ohio. It's actually, I think, they're about 30 miles apart or so.

Ohio is a critical tossup state, as you probably know right now. We're going to take you live to their separate Ohio appearances next hour.

Then Obama will head to Virginia later today while McCain and his VP choice, Sarah Palin, go to Pennsylvania.

Democratic VP candidate Joe Biden does his own thing in Missouri today. Now to those vice presidential numbers we promised. Pitting Sarah Palin against Joe Biden.

CNN White House correspondent Ed Henry is joining us now from Washington to talk a little about this.

First off, Ed, just tell us what the numbers show, because there are some surprises here.

ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Good morning, Heidi.

I mean we can say over and over that people in the end really vote about the top of the ticket, but on the margins it's also important to look at the number two choice and what that says about the number one, about their judgment, et cetera, and so we're trying to gauge in this latest CNN Opinion Research Corporation Poll, sort of what's the feeling out there among registered voters.

And the first number that's interesting is their opinion of the VP candidates. 57 percent say they have a favorable opinion of Sarah Palin, 27 percent unfavorable, 16 percent unsure. For Joe Biden, 51 percent favorable, 28 percent unfavorable, 21 percent unsure.

That's interesting, obviously, because it gives you, in a sense, about a little bit of a lift, perhaps, that John McCain's been getting as we see out on the campaign trail. These larger crowds -- crowds he's never had before because of the excitement, particularly among his Republican base about the choice of Sarah Palin.

So you're seeing a little bit of a stronger number, six-point edge, Palin over Biden. And then the second to look at is to dive down a little deeper on the opinion of Sarah Palin, in particular, and how it breaks down among men and women.

Favorable -- much more favorable among men, 62 percent.

COLLINS: Yes.

HENRY: 23 percent unfavorable, 15 percent unsure. Women 53 percent favorable to 30 percent unfavorable, and 17 percent unsure.

Now this may point a little bit to what we were talking about after she was first picked. There was a lot of hope in the McCain camp that maybe she would reel in some of the disaffected Hillary Clinton supporters. Maybe they would come across since she was a woman.

But as we were pointing out in real time then, Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton are diametrically opposed on a lot of issues, particularly abortion.

COLLINS: Sure.

HENRY: So if you look at a lot of women, perhaps, especially Clinton supporters, who support abortion rights that they look at the fact that Sarah Palin does not support abortion rights. Perhaps that is one reason why you'd see among women not quite as much support.

But interesting that 62 percent favorable among men.

COLLINS: Yes. I thought that was really interesting and I know you've been on the campaign trail for a while, Ed. Were you surprised by that -- to see those numbers?

HENRY: A little bit surprised. I think clearly, though, there has been excitement for Sarah Palin. I saw that, in particular, at the Republican convention. There on the floor in St. Paul, there was a new energy you saw for John McCain that was not there for John McCain without Sarah Palin.

I'm not sure someone like Mitt Romney or anyone else would have really brought that much in terms of excitement energy, but I think while that's about rallying the base, the big question moving forward for McCain, how much does Sarah Palin really help with the independent voters, the swing voters, who are more likely to decide this election -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, exactly, because those numbers seem to have had decreased a little bit, too, as far as how many people are still undecided at this point in the race.

Quickly before we let you go, Ed, I know that there's a number out there regarding who -- which candidate would actually be best to step in as president. HENRY: Absolutely. And who's experienced -- who's got the experience, essentially, to be president on that number. Question -- are they qualified to serve as president, 70 percent saying, yes, Biden is. No, 28 percent for Palin. 50 percent saying yes, she's qualified. 48 percent saying no.

Obviously, the 20-point edge for Joe Biden, it speaks to the fact he's been in the Senate a long time, decades. We've talked a lot in the media, obviously, about his foreign policy experience, in particular.

But I still think that what's going to be more important than this quick snapshot is how do they do one-on-one in that one vice presidential debate.

Does Sarah Palin hold her own or more than hold her own? Does she make a gaffe on foreign policy, in particular, that really harms her?

I think while Biden -- it's expected that he would have an edge here, the key is going to be really moving forward on the trail...

COLLINS: Yes.

HENRY: ... and in that one debate, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, absolutely, and we know that you will be there for us.

CNN's Ed Henry -- thank you, Ed.

HENRY: Thanks, Heidi.

COLLINS: Appreciate it.

Also want to give you a look at some of the new presidential numbers now and our Poll of Polls shows John McCain now, for the very first time, with a two-point lead. You see the numbers there? 47 percent for McCain and 45 percent for Obama.

There's an unsure number there that I was talking to you about, 8 percent. Last time I checked it was about 11. So interesting.

The compilation of polls was taken after the Republican convention.

Also want to let you know, coming up this weekend, there is going to be a couple of specials. We've done this for the presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain.

And now we at CNN are doing the same thing for you, giving you an inside look at the vice-presidential candidates. Again, coming up this weekend you will learn more about Sarah Palin and Joe Biden.

Back-to-back, CNN documentaries beginning Saturday night at 8:00 Eastern. So watch out for those. South Alabama, the promise land? A group offers big bucks to bring Jews to the bible belt.

ANNOUNCER: CNN NEWSROOM brought to you by...

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: News as it develops as only CNN can bring it to you. See for yourself in the CNN NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Issue No. 1, the economy. And a big chunk of your dwindling dollar is the high cost of energy. So the presidential candidates are hoping to win your vote with their own plans to cut your costs.

CNN senior business correspondent Ali Velshi is here to talk more about that.

Good morning, Ali.

ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

You know, all this week we're taking a look at how the candidates differ on matters that affect "ISSUE #1," your economy. And we thought we'd look at energy today.

The candidates have very different views on things. Let's start with John McCain. He has made a centerpiece of his policy, the idea that he wants to lift the ban on offshore oil drilling. We drill offshore in California a little bit and in the Gulf of Mexico, but most of the rest of the United States is off limits.

McCain wants to lift that ban. He also wants to construct 45 new nuclear plants by 2030 and that would mean a lot more generation of electricity. Right now more than 53 percent of our electricity is generated by coal, and McCain wants to invest $2 billion in clean coal technology.

That's technology that allows coal to burn cleaner. There are a lot of people who doubt that -- that technology is actually viable.

He also wants to put in tax breaks to investors who produce and invent alternative energy. So, that's basically the picture of John McCain's economic plan -- Heidi.

COLLINS: OK, and we got to get to the other side of the fence, of course.

VELSHI: Yes. A little bit different. They both talk about -- you know, lessening America's dependence on imported oil. But the bottom line is, they do go about it differently.

Barack Obama wants to invest $150 billion in the development of renewable energy like solar, wind and hydroelectricity. He also wants to allow limited offshore oil drilling, which is a switch in his position, even...

COLLINS: Yes.

VELSHI: ... McCain's support of offshore oil drilling is a switch in his position. Obama wants to have 10 percent of our electricity generated by renewable sources by 2012. That's actually a big goal. We're not any where close to that.

And he'd like to have a million plug-in hybrid cars on the road by 2015. I want to assume there'd be tax incentives for people to build those and for people to buy those.

One overarching theme of Obama's energy policy is reducing consumption of energy. McCain's policy, while it has that goal in the end, it's got more to do with producing more energy sources, getting more energy drilling for more oil at the moment.

So it's a bit of -- that's one way to look at the way those two look at things.

COLLINS: The nuclear option, though, is something -- we don't really seem to hear a whole lot about it.

VELSHI: Yes, well, I mean, the Democrats have largely been solidly against expansion of nuclear electricity. There are still questions that some people have about safety and that's what Barack Obama has said. He wants to know that it's safe.

John McCain says the evidence is out there, the science is there, it is safe, and he wants to be able to generate a lot more electricity. He does happen to be particularly cost-effective way of producing electricity.

But we'll have to see. I think as people get familiar with these plans they may push the candidates one way or the other.

COLLINS: Yes, I bet they will, too. All right, CNN's senior business correspondent Ali Velshi -- nice to see you, Ali. Thank you.

VELSHI: Thanks, Heidi.

COLLINS: Now here's a real sign of the times. The 99 Cent Store is raising its prices.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FORREST THURMAN, CUSTOMER: I found out a couple of days ago from a neighbor that the 99 Cent Store is going to be raising their prices. And I was like, man, I better get down there and stock up, because who knows? It could be a buck 99 store now.

But pleasantly I'm surprised that they've only raised it 0.99, so everything is still under a dollar. Hallelujah.

J.R. STARR, CUSTOMER: I'm on a fixed income. That's going to put me in a new tax bracket. You know what I'm saying? Because I just don't have that extra 99 -- that 0.9 to be paying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Huh? That's right, the prices are up to 99.99. The company says the price hike will bring in an extra $12 million a year.

And there's this. Big money for Jewish families willing to relocate. A group in Dothan, Alabama offering up $50,000 to families willing to move there. The reason? Its Jewish population is declining and synagogues are being forced to close.

So if you are interested, the group requires two things: join temple and stay at least five years. That's what Dothan has to offer. It says it is the peanut capital of the world. Things you can get. It post a low-cost of living and closest to Florida beaches. They're about 80 miles away.

There you have it.

An Olympian's feat. He battled other swimmers at the Beijing games and now he resumes his fight against cancer. And our own Dr. Sanjay Gupta is in the operating room for an exclusive look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Back on the bike. Cycling superstar Lance Armstrong is coming out of retirement. And that's according to a well-respected sports journal. It says, citing unnamed sources, Armstrong will compete in five races in France, California and Georgia next year.

The journal says Armstrong wants to prove he's a clean athlete and will post his anti-doping test results online.

Armstrong, as you know, is a cancer survivor, diagnosed with advanced testicular cancer when he was 25 years old. He's won the Tour de France a record seven times and is chairman of Armstrong Foundation which, of course, raises money for cancer research, education and patient support.

Well, it is a disease that targets younger men in their 20s and 30s and for Olympic swimmer, Eric Shanteau, testicular cancer couldn't have struck at a worst time in his life.

But he decided surgery could wait until after the Beijing games and, well, the Beijing games are over now, and Dr. Sanjay Gupta is with us, because you had exclusive access to the O.R. for Eric's surgery.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. he's such a fascinating person. He had the biggest decision, I think -- of his life, certainly, a roller coaster of emotion is how he described it. But he also gave us a real idea of what was going on in his mind during this entire time.

There's no question the most important day of his life. Take a look. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA (voice over): He had been dreaming of Beijing all his life.

ERIC SHANTEAU, OLYMPIC SWIMMER: Getting to the Olympics has always been my swimming dream since I was 8 or 9 years old. And, you know, right after I started swimming, it was -- I want to make an Olympic team. That's where I want to be.

GUPTA: At age 24 Eric Shanteau had reached the ranks of a world- class swimmer but just two months away from realizing his Olympic dream, an unimaginable twist of faith.

SHANTEAU: One night I found something that I didn't think should be there and basically went and got it checked out a couple days later.

GUPTA: Test results showed Eric had testicular cancer. His doctors pushed for immediate aggressive treatment.

SHANTEAU: He tells me what I have and he's like, OK, this is what we need to do, let's get you signed up for surgery. I'm like, OK, hang on a second.

GUPTA: The Olympics loomed just weeks away and Shanteau faced a critical decision.

SHANTEAU: The initial reaction was probably anger. It was a week before the biggest meet of my life.

GUPTA: Eric's doctors cleared him to compete at the 11th hour.

Now back from Beijing, it's the night before his operation and Eric has the calm focus of an Olympian.

SHANTEAU: This is me and my brother in the bathtub, that was before I probably even learned to swim.

GUPTA: He knows testicular cancer is the most common form of cancer for 20 to 34 year olds. It's also the most curable.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How are you feeling?

SHANTEAU: Pretty good.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So the drugs starting to kick in?

SHANTEAU: Yes, a little bit.

GUPTA: It's the day of his operation at Emory University Hospital.

(on camera): So Eric is prepped for surgery. He's ready to go. He's been waiting all day. It's about 7:10 p.m. now. For a long time he's been waiting for this operation. Two months really. Arguably, it's the most challenging competition of his career.

More difficult than any Olympic competition, he's finally going to get this tumor removed.

So it's about halfway through the operation now. They have removed the tumor and everything seems to be going pretty well. Take about another 15 to 20 minutes before the operation is over and we'll come back.

(voice over): After a few hours in the operating room, Eric heads to recovery.

(on camera): So the operation's over?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, the operation's over and I think it went very well.

GUPTA: Any problems at all?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No problems whatsoever.

GUPTA (voice over): And hopefully no problems for Eric, who has one message for fans.

SHANTEAU: The early detection thing is you can't stress that enough. Don't be afraid to get out there and see your doctor. It's -- it can save your life.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: What a guy.

COLLINS: Boy, you know, I asked you during the break how he was and if he was nervous or not. I mean, obviously, you would imagine that he has been thinking about this for a long time because he decided to wait for the surgery.

GUPTA: Yes, I think he was nervous. I think he would say that for sure and this is not an ordinary guy. I mean this is a guy who is used to competing...

COLLINS: Sure.

GUPTA: ... at a very high level in front of lots of people. So to see him a little bit nervous was interesting. But -- this was so much more of an important day for him in the scheme of things, for sure.

COLLINS: Yes, well, because he has a future, he's such a young guy. And I find it remarkable -- we were actually talking about this at our meeting earlier today -- that this is the most common form of cancer. Testicular cancer for men between the ages of 20 and 34.

I really didn't know that.

GUPTA: A lot of people don't. It's men at the peak of their lives and I think that's what makes this a little bit scary, because a lot of times you're plugging along in life and something happens and you don't -- you don't -- think about it. You don't worry about it.

COLLINS: Yes.

GUPTA: Like Eric's comment was, you're more likely to get your car checked than your own body if you sense that there's something wrong. Luckily, he got himself checked out and it probably saved his life, because this is a cancer that can spread.

COLLINS: Absolutely. He's going to get back in the pool? His prognosis is good?

GUPTA: He's going to get back in the pool. He's got -- you'll see him in the world competition next year. 2012, he said, might be a little bit of a stretch. He's 24 years old, he said, he's getting a little bit old, which then make me feel...

COLLINS: Come on now. Dara Torres.

GUPTA: That's right.

COLLINS: 41 -- no, I don't see...

GUPTA: Been done.

COLLINS: All right, well, we wish the very best for him, of course. And appreciate your taking us (INAUDIBLE).

GUPTA: Sure.

COLLINS: Thanks, Sanjay.

GUPTA: Thank you.

COLLINS: And a reminder you can read more about Eric Shanteau's fight against cancer on our Web site. You can find it at CNN.com/health.

A U.S. troop withdrawal plan in Iraq being linked to less violence. Our Baghdad correspondent sees if events on the ground really reflect that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Hey, this is kind of cool. We like to show you, obviously, every day we try to go to the opening bell there on the New York Stock Exchange. Do you recognize a couple of those people to the left of the podium there, you see Olympians -- Natalie Coughlin and Michael Phelps. And you know them.

She was the very first American female athlete to win six medals in the Olympics, and the first ever to win the 100-meter backstroke. Very competitive. And obviously, you know Michael Phelps. He has 14 Olympic gold medals now. The very most by any Olympian. We are looking for Olympic results on the New York Stock Exchange. Dow Jones Industrial averages right there, you see, not so huge. But to the positive. So, that's good. Yesterday, I'm sure you saw that by the time the end of the trading day came, the Dow Jones was up by nearly 300 points. So we were watching that and hoping the same exact thing will happen again today.

As you know, we are less than 30 minutes away now from a major announcement by President Bush on troop levels in Iraq. We are going to bring that to you live when it happens. The president plans to withdraw around 8,000 U.S. troops over the next several months. That includes more than 3,000 support personnel like engineers and military police.

After that, a Marine battalion serving in Anbar Province and one Army combat brigade will come home with no replacements. The moves are based on recommendations from top military officers, of course, that would include General David Petraeus.

For a little bit more on this now and the state of security in Iraq, we want to turn to CNN's Arwa Damon who is live in Baghdad this morning, and has a good idea of how things actually feel in reality, Arwa, on the ground there.

ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, you know, it's undeniable that security here has gotten significantly better. But when we're talking about a troop drawdown, the numbers that they're talking about around 8,000 soldiers, and when you compare that to the actual number of troops that are currently here right now, that's 144,000 troops on the ground. So the difference is not all that significant. And this is in part what the U.S. military wants to do, though. It does not want to draw down too fast.

If we look at the factors that are involved, that are allowing for the current security gains, you got what's known at the awakening council. It's essentially, largely made up of Sunni insurgents that are no longer fighting the U.S. And you've got a cease-fire with the Mahdi militia, the Shiite militia here. And you have the troop surge.

If you remove any one of those factors, no one really knows what is going to happen to Iraq and whether or not the current security gains are in essence, actually sustainable. So the U.S. military wants to slowly draw its troops down and see where the security situation stands, and then reassess and re-evaluate based on that, Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, and that's probably not too much of a surprise. But for some people, it may be quite a bit of a surprise that we are now talking about pulling some troops out of Anbar Province in particular. I mean, that was a hot bed for violence.

DAMON: It was, Heidi. It was once an al Qaeda stronghold. There were parts of that province where even the U.S. military didn't really dare to go. And now that has completely changed around. And we're seeing similar changes in other parts of the country, as well. Take Baghdad, for example. Right now, we're able to travel places in and outside of Baghdad that we wouldn't have even imagined or dared to go to in the past. And, you know, driving along with some of our Iraqi staff, our Iraqi producers, even they're amazed at the fact that they're able to go to these places. Something as simple as driving through Baghdad's northern gate. It's something we haven't been able to do pretty much since 2004. But as we're going through these parts of the capital we couldn't go to, what we're also gaining is a little bit of deeper understanding of what Iraqis have truly suffered through.

I mean, how many times have I and other reporters stood up here and talked about the unidentified tortured bodies found in Baghdad, the horrors of militia rule, al Qaeda taking over neighborhoods. But we've never really been able to get to those places to try to get a better understanding of what Iraqis suffer through, and now we're able to do that. And it is really a very difficult thing for Iraqis.

Everything that they've been through, trying to overcome it all and many of them will tell you that from their perspective, the war here is far from over. Yes, al Qaeda and the militias here have been largely defeated, but they're not gone. They're still out there and they're still intimidating people.

COLLINS: Yes. Well, we are glad that you are there, Arwa, to continue reporting on it. And thanks for your persistence in getting out to some of those areas that we have not seen in a very, very long time. Arwa Damon coming to us live from Baghdad this morning. Thanks, Arwa.

And that speech that we mentioned today is at the National Defense University. That's where the president will be. So, what is the National Defense University? They call it NDU. It includes four colleges, and one of those is the National War College.

The school says its mission is to educate national security leaders. 66 percent of the students are military officers from every branch of service. The rest are from government agencies or industry. There are also some international students. Programs there include national security strategy, warfare strategy and multinational planning and war fighting.

As we said, we are going to bring you live coverage of the president's speech on troop withdrawals from Iraq. It will be happening 9:55 a.m. Eastern. So, keep it right here. We'll bring it to you when it happens.

How does the presidential race look after the conventions now? Pretty similar to how it looked before.

CNN's Bill Schneider has the latest numbers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): The dead heat is getting hotter. Before the conventions, it was Barack Obama 47, John McCain 47. Now it's 48-48. This campaign is all about change. That's a natural issue for Obama. He leads the opposition party.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: It's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change America.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

SCHNEIDER: Before the conventions, Obama had an 18-point edge as the candidate more likely to bring about change. McCain used his convention to try to claim the change issue. He even put a Washington outsider on the ticket.

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ), PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: And let me just offer an advance warning to the old big-spending, do-nothing, me- first/country-second crowd. Change is coming.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

SCHNEIDER: After the conventions, Obama retained the title of change agent, but by a narrower margin.

President Bush has a dismal 28 percent job rating, nearly the lowest on record for any president. Imagine what the race would look like if Bush were running for re-election or if Vice President Dick Cheney were running to succeed him. But they're not. John McCain is.

Before the conventions, voters were split over whether McCain's policies would be mostly the same as President Bush's or mostly different. Obama used his convention to argue, McCain equals Bush.

OBAMA: John McCain has voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time.

SCHNEIDER: It worked. After the Democratic Convention, more voters believed McCain's policies would be the same as Bush's. Then McCain used his convention to say I'm not Bush. And low and behold, we're back where we started. Voters are divided over whether McCain would be the same as Bush.

(on camera): Right now, 70 percent of voters disapprove of President Bush, but nearly a third of them are voting for John McCain, because they believe McCain is not like Bush. Obama's job is to persuade them otherwise.

Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Both campaigns are in Ohio today, and that is a key battleground state. So, we're going to be bringing you there, live events, coming up next hour. John McCain and Sarah Palin are in Lebanon, Ohio. That's just south of Dayton. Their event scheduled to begin at 10:00 Eastern. Barack Obama about 30 miles away in Riverside, Ohio. His event is set for 10:20 this morning.

Hurricane Ike slamming across the entire length of Cuba this morning. Hundreds of homes destroyed and hundreds more damaged. At least four people have died. Ike is expected to churn into the Gulf of Mexico later on today. People in Louisiana and Texas already worried about that storm and getting ready for it.

We want to get on over to Rob Marciano now. He's going to tell them how to do that.

What can people in the U.S. expect here, Rob?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, right now, the folks in south U.S., extreme south of the Florida Keys and south Florida are already feeling the effects of this as does western Cuba. There's the center of it. About 40 miles or 20 miles south of Havana itself.

Feeder bands are rolling into the Keys and southwest Florida. And we have had a couple of tornado warnings that had been posted. And the latest is for Collier County, south-western Collier County. There's Everglades City. This is along lines where Wilma came in, along line where Fay came in. Marco Island, here's Maple, so this cell is rotating to the northwest at about 30 miles an hour and has a Doppler-indicated tornado -- meaning it hasn't been spotted on the ground, but certainly some rotation on the clouds there. And that will be an ongoing threat not only for those pretty populated and well to do communities, but for much of southern Florida until the center of this gets into the Gulf of Mexico.

And the problem is when it does that, we'll probably go from 80 to a higher number, potentially a major category. So, here is the forecast track from the National Hurricane Center. We bring it west, north-westerly to a Category 2 late Wednesday night, tomorrow night. And then, we do a bit of a left turn, actually. So, we take in, at least for now, Louisiana out of the cone. It could sneak a little bit farther to the north, but right now Texas is looking more likely than not.

Heidi, days four and five, the National Hurricane Center will be quick to point out that those are their least confident days. The margin of error is about 300 miles. So this track will be shifting no doubt about it. And if you live in Louisiana, don't think that you're completely out of it just yet.

COLLINS: Yes, absolutely no. All right, Rob, thank you.

MARCIANO: OK.

COLLINS: Texas gearing up for the possible arrival of Ike. The state has already gotten buses ready and the staging area in San Antonio just in case coastal evacuations are needed. The governor also issued a disaster declaration for 88 Texas counties.

Partying with a sense of security. Running gun battles in Beirut this spring give way to a tourist boom over the summer.

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COLLINS: Quickly, just want to remind you, we are expecting President Bush on that stage right there at the National Defense University. He's going to be talking and making an announcement about U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq. We'll bring it to you immediately when it happens.

Pakistan swears in its new president, Asif Ali Zardari. He is the widower of former Pakistani leader Benazir Bhutto. She was assassinated late last year. The presidential swearing ceremony took place in Islamabad today. It is a five-year term but it's mostly a figure head position. The prime minister not the president is vested with most of the power, according to Pakistan's constitution.

City shut down by violence. Bullets flew in Beirut this spring, now tourists flock to the very same street.

CNN's Cal Perry looks at an amazing turn around.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAL PERRY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Four months ago as spring turned to summer, this is how Beirut looked. Sounded...

(VIDEO CLIP)

PERRY: Here in Beirut when these clashes come -- sorry, Tony, they hit an RPG explosion.

(VIDEO CLIP)

PERRY: ... And felt. The very center of the Lebanese capital was under siege from two internal political factions.

(on camera): Now normally when things are quiet here in Beirut, this is a bustling part of the city. At the end of this block, there are gunman with RPGs and machine guns. They told us to keep our distance. That's exactly what we're going to do.

(voice-over): But what a difference four months make. Today on the very same streets, RPG fire has given away to stylish night life. Political tension to some of the biggest parties in the world.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three months ago, we are in the war zone, and after three months -- and this just tells you how much they do love Lebanon, how much they want Lebanon, how much they want to come to Lebanon.

PERRY: The town of Bahamdun (ph) in the mountains is only one of the many places of attraction. It contributes to a stunning 28 percent rise in visitors from the past year. Some choose the cool climate to the beach. Most are from the region, countries like Jordan, Kuwait and Iran. Abdul Rahman first came here in 1957. Born in Kuwait, he ended up buying a summer house here in the mountains.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love Lebanon, myself, because it has more freedom, individual freedom. But don't bother anybody. You can have what you want. PERRY (on camera): And whether you live here or you're just coming for a visit, there's always the obvious option, you hop on a boat.

(voice-over): For 30 minutes in any direction, the coast is filled with upscale beach clubs, nestled between the mountains and the sea, they're private and chic during the day. At night, transferring back to the massive parties.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) of the GDP coming from tourism.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's great for tourism. Unfortunately, it's not well-diversified enough for the economy. Tourism for Lebanon so far is the quickest or fastest rebound thing export item that we have.

PERRY (on camera): It's an economy that was totally lost in 2006 with the war against Israel. In 2007, there were political problems. No tourism then, which is why 2008 is so vital for Lebanon, without tourism, its GDP falls. Tourism is key.

(voice-over): Luckily for Lebanon, the capital itself is just a dive away from a Mediterranean.

Cal Perry, CNN, Beirut.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Wow, what a huge, huge change there for that country. All right, CNN's Cal Perry, appreciate that.

CNN gives you complete coverage in not just one story about goats, but two. We're on goat watch here. One group is hard at work and the other is, well, falling down on the job.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Rob was standing in the way of the goats. What we really want to -- look at -- this is crazy. There's a hot new breeding farm making money up in Maine. Look at this now. They breed fainting goats. No, they're not sick or anything, and they don't have narcolepsy or any of that. Instead, they have a condition known as myotonia. Now, watch it.

It causes the muscles to stiffen up when the goat is afraid. They just kind of tip over after that, but they get up just fine and then they shake it off, and they -- look at -- I'm sorry. Fainting goat experts -- because there are those fainting goat experts. They have the same life expectancy as other goats.

The breeders in Maine say they can get up to $350 for each one of these fainters. And we're going to bring in our goat expert, Rob Marciano now to talk a little bit more about this, because believe it or not, we have another story, sort of on the flip side of all this.

MARCIANO: Yes. COLLINS: The regular goats having a field day themselves in Los Angeles. Now, look behind me. He's a big got. The city is using them in some areas to clear away overgrown brush. Let's listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE GONZALEZ, GOAT RANCHER: These are natural ways of getting rid of controlled brush, the old-fashioned way. They're real good eaters, the hardy animals.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Saves money. You use no pesticides, no chemicals. You don't endanger the environment anymore than you already have.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, I think it's a pretty great idea. You know, we can give up the tractors, the weed whackers, and all of that sort of stuff. But, you know, why not let the goats have some lunch.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Yes. And this isn't actually new. I mean, goats have been around for a while to go ahead and trim grass. And it's important, especially when we're talking about fire safety --

(CROSSTALK)

MARCIANO: Can you get the goats off my weather wall.

COLLINS: I'm trying to bring you about seriousness to this because when we talk about all the fires and everything across the country, particularly in California, Colorado and so forth, people have to trim the overgrown brush. So it happens. So, maybe they can use goats. They cost $3,000 to rent 100 goats for two days as a matter of fact.

MARCIANO: That's it? Well, it's a lot cheaper than actually paying somebody to cut the grass. And then, there's the gasoline and the pollution, global warming issue. Although, they probably put out a fair amount of methane which is a potent form of (INAUDIBLE). To the Google Earth map, please.

COLLINS: Yes, let's get to that. We're talking about where they are now?

MARCIANO: Yes.

COLLINS: Certainly not.

MARCIANO: That's the weather wall. OK, there you go.

COLLINS: Hurricane Ike.

MARCIANO: Los Angeles, (INAUDIBLE), this is where they've hired some goats to gnaw away the grass. By the way, golfer, you know, the links in Scotland that's how they kind of came about cutting the grass at the golf course way back in the day. So, that's where they're eating the grass.

COLLINS: All right.

MARCIANO: Quick check on where we're having pumpkin problems, because this is somehow related.

COLLINS: Yes, pumpkins.

MARCIANO: Not, really, it's weather-related.

COLLINS: Oh, there you go. Humongous.

MARCIANO: Pumpkin problems in Colorado. We had some bad hail storms there in Wiggins, Colorado. And because of that you may be paying 50 cents more a pound for your pumpkin this Halloween.

COLLINS: All right, there you go. That and the dollar store, 99 cent store now more expensive. All right. Yes, lovely.

Hey, thanks for all that, Rob.

MARCIANO: Come over to the weather center any time.

COLLINS: Absolutely.

MARCIANO: Leave the goats at home.

COLLINS: Meanwhile, we want to let you know, we are waiting for President Bush. As you know, he is about to address the National Defense University. You see the podium there, coming up any minute now. He's going to be talking about troop withdrawals in Iraq.

Back in a moment here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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